Monthly Archives: August 2008

Isaac Hayes, 1942-2008

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[ Listening to Shaft theme!Currently: Listening to Shaft theme! ]
I toyed with the idea of writing a piece about Isaac Hayes and what his death meant to me, but after reading Leon’s Spill post, whatever I had to say would sound trivial.

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Isaac Hayes was Black Moses.
He was Truck Turner.
Gandolph Fitch
The Duke of New York
Chef.

Isaac Hayes was my hero.

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I blew it on my first chance to see him. At the Million Man March and I was so busy staring at M.C.Hammer that I didn’t know that Isaac Hayes was standing less than 50ft. behind me until my friends came up and told me later.

In 2001 I drove to Dallas and paid the $5 entry fee for the Nokia-sponsored ‘New Age Festival’ to watch him perform outdoors in front of a full crowd of hipster 20-somethings that only knew him as “Chef” from South Park and probably got most of his songs confused with Barry White’s. It was still a great show even with having the Nokia Employee Band (which I heckled) as opening act.

I was with Leon at that Noika show. A memorable evening.

Leon even exposes the unique Mike Judge-Isaac Hayes-South Park relationship.

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One of the things I bonded with Mike Judge over was our mutual man-crush on Isaac Hayes. It was he that introduced Hayes to Trey Parker and Matt Stone after having him sing the theme to Beavis & Butthead Do America.

The unique and amazing talent Isaac Hayes will be missed and never replicated.

Thanks to my buddy Leon for the excellent tribute and putting what many of us were feeling and thinking into words.

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You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother–
(Shut your mouth)
But I’m talkin’ about Shaft
(Then we can dig it)

He’s a complicated man
But no one understands him but his woman
(John Shaft)

Isaac Hayes, 1942-2008 was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Michael Moorcock names his top 10 science fiction novels

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Legendary author Michael Moorcock was asked backed in 2001 by the Guardian to list his ten favorite science fiction books.

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“I would guess that, Wells, Ballard and Aldiss aside, I only have about 10 SF novels I really like. Most SF is fundamentally retrospective, like modern politics. Big spaceships have an immediate soporific effect (the first time I fell asleep in 2001 I was with an amiable Arthur Clarke!) So, if you haven’t read any SF, this list might suit you. Few of these books make any mention of spaceships, but they’re all by substantial writers and most have a characteristic elegaic note inherited from the likes of Shelley and Wells.”

Intriguing list that begins with Brian Aldiss’ Greybeard and culminates with one of my all time favorite books The Exploits of Engelbrecht by Maurice Richardson.

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10. The Exploits of Engelbrecht by Maurice Richardson
While not actually SF, this was such an enthusiasm of mine, Ballard’s and several others that it deserves inclusion. Richardson certainly knew his science, his literature and his surrealism. If you do not know the Surrealist Sporting Club, The Day We Played Mars and the Night of the Great Witch Shoot (illustrated by Searle, Hoffnung and Boswell in a superior edition) you do not know English literature.

(Thanks to the ever helpful Matt Staggs)

Michael Moorcock names his top 10 science fiction novels was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Breastfeeding in Public is Not a Crime

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[ Fed Up WIth Life Mood: Fed Up WIth Life ]
[ Currently: Guess ]
So in the course of a week there have been two stories about women who were breastfeeding in public being harrased by businesses. Add that to the experience of a woman at Universal Studios, and I got to ask myself, "What is going on?"

When did a woman breastfeeding her child become an indecent act?

It is the most natural thing in the world. And given the benefits to the child and society, not to mention the extreme preassure we put on women to breastfead, you would think that society would be as welcoming as possible.

Instead, there are these narrow minded people who think lactating women need to cover-up or go to a secluded area to breastfeed. The message is clear to me, breastfeeding is shameful and must be done in secret.

How incredibly Victorian.

What’s next? Gay and interracial couples need to not be as visable because they might offend someone?

I am having the urge to head to the Ottawa airport and breastfeed my child in front of the Westjet check-in desk. Start collecting money for my bail.

Rick Klaw Talks about Irving Klaw

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An interview with me about my famous grandfather appears on the BettiePage.com blog.

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How has your own life, work and passions been shaped by experiencing the “cult” audience of Bettie Page?

The cult of Bettie enabled me to learn more about a part of my family history that I thought lost. I didn’t learn about my grandfather’s famous history until I was 21 and at the 1992 San Diego ComicCon. I remember the event clearly.

“Are you related to Irving Klaw?”

I stood dumbfounded. I knew the name but never expected to hear it at 21 while attending a comic book convention. Irving Klaw was my grandfather.

Irving died about 16 months before I was born. His death is the stuff of family legend.

The grey-haired man in front of me was Ray Zone. As a comic book and magazine publisher, Zone was single-handedly responsible for the 3-d boom of the late 80’s.1

“He was my grandfather. Why?”

Zone proceeded to show me examples of my grandfather’s work: Images of Bettie in black leather and leopard print bathing suits bound in a variety of positions. Some of the pics had Bettie with a whip. In some she was spread in doorways or suspended from a ceiling, bound and gagged. A few even had other women, but none had any nudity at all.

So you could say the “cult of Bettie” changed my life but not in the way most expect. I became curious and over the years and learned as much as I could abut his life and work. It’s enabled me to re-establish a relationship with my Uncle Arth. Turns out we have a lot more in common than Irving.

Rick Klaw Talks about Irving Klaw was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

So Why Did We Give the Chinese the Olympics?

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[ Sleepy Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
So some journalists trying to report on the supposed terrorist attack in Northern China where beaten. We’re not talking a few punches. According to CBC, one camera man had his face smashed into the ground. Apparently a French photographer had his pictures forcibly deleated.

Remeber when China promised press freedom to get the Olympics? Apparently they lied. And the IOC now says they are doing nothing about it.

Add that to Tibet and I am soooooo not watching this Olympics.

Plum Lovin’ – A Quick Review

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[ Silly Mood: Silly ]
[ Currently: Enjoying Naptime ]
Plum Lovin’ is the second of Janet Evanovich’s Between the Numbers series. You may remember that I wasn’t very impressed with the first entry in this Stephani Plum mini-series. Think of these books as a webisode version of the main series. Evanovich is exploring light urban fantasy by giving Stephanie a turn with the superpowered (and superhunky) Diesel.

This time finds Stephanie looking for bail jumper Annie. The mysterious Diesel shows up and informs her he has Annie locked away for her protection. It appears Annie is an unmentionable like Diesel. She’s a matchmaker. If Stephanie helps Diesel with his case, he will turn over Annie. Diesel is trying to find Bearnie, another unmentionable who has it in for Annie. His power is to give people a rash. So Stephanie takes on Annie’s case load while she helps Diesel track down his fugitive.

This second entry is stronger, mostly because Evanovich plays to her strengths by including the hillarious secondary characters of Grandma Mazur and Lula to the fullest. These two, over-the-top women are the reason why many people have stuck with the main series long after it became a little repetitive.

I will give the third book a look because of how good this one was.

Quark coming to DVD!

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[ HappyMood: Happy ]
As children, my sister and I often fought over the TV. This was back in the 70s when households often had only one TV, five channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and an independent), and no VCR. After school we raced home. Whoever got the TV first could make a claim. Course it didn’t usually stop us from a pitched battle, but every day it was the same. On one channel they showed Looney Tunes. My sister in her insanity hates Looney Tunes. She preferred The Brady Bunch, which showed on another channel. UGH! It was even more crucial for me to get home on those occasions when the Million Dollar Movie had Ape and Godzilla weeks. You never knew when those gems might be shown again. For a while Friday nights were awful when for that brief period Quark ran opposite Donny and Marie. They canceled Quark and I went back to my reading while she watched the Dancin’ Mormon Happy Hour.

I recall Quark, the tale of an intergalactic garbageman, being hilarious. I’ve not seen the episodes since they originally aired back in the dark ages of 1977-1978, mostly because the show was never put out on VHS (except for bootlegs) nor DVD.

Well happily this tidbit arrived in my inbox this morning:

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Buck Henry — Oscar® nominated screenwriter (The Graduate, Heaven Can Wait) and Emmy® winner for his work on the hit TV series “Get Smart” — created a wonderfully wacky sci-fi spoof Quark starring Richard Benjamin which since its debut and short run in 1977-78 has become a cult hit. In addition to Emmy® nominee Richard Benjamin (TV’s “He & She”), the out-of-this-world space age comedy stars Tim Thomerson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Patricia and Cyb Barnstable, Bobby Porter, Conrad Janis (TV’s “Mork & Mindy”), Alan Caillou, and Richard Kelton (TV’s “Gunsmoke”). Quark: The Complete Series will be available for $19.94.

I’m not sure if it will be the same without the weekly fighting, but I imagine I’ll muddle through. I just hope it isn’t a Spaceballs turd that my ten year old reality gussied up into a rose.

The DVD is scheduled for a mid-October release. Expect a review soon after!

Quark coming to DVD! was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Anne of Green Gables – A Quick Review

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[ Sleepy Mood: Sleepy ]
Anne of Green Gables is a Canadian children’s classic. Written a hundred years ago, it tells the story of Anne, an orphan who is adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, middle-aged siblings who live in the mythical town of Avonlea, PEI.

This story is part of the national psyche here in Canada. L.M. Montgomery became famous in her lifetime, and has remained so. Prince Edward Island’s tourism industry is pretty much based on Anne. There have been musicals, plays, tv series, movies, heck even anime based on this book.

So is it worth the hype? In a word, yes. Anne Shirley is an over the top heroine, full of fancy language and vivid daydreams. Her bright outlook on the world is infectious. You want to spend time with Anne and be swept up in her enthusiasm. You can understand why the town of Avonlea falls in love with her.

There is a reason why this has lasted one hundred years. Go get it.